Nokia to deliver Android 8.0 Oreo to the 3, 5, 6 and 8 by the end of the year

Back at MWC this year when Nokia announced their new Android lineup they focused a lot on their software and how minimal it was. They planned to deliver a pure stock Android experience and provide timely updates. It seems that they are planning on living up to these promises.

In an interview with GadgetGaul and Nokianesia, HMD Global’s General Manager for Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, Mark Trundle, their business model requires security patches to be provided each month, for all models, no matter the market segment it is targeted at.

He went on to say that the Nokia 3, 5 and 6 phones will be running Oreo by the end of the year – the full interview can be seen below. Add this to the tweet by Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer of HMD Global, who stated that the Oreo beta development for the Nokia 8 is progressing nicely. The update to Android 8.0 Oreo is expected to arrive on the Nokia 8 by the end of October according to leaks seen in which is an amazing feat.

It goes to show that it really isn’t that hard for a company to provide timely updates. Although HMD Global have not been doing Android for very long they are still able to provide extremely timely full version updates and security updates on time. How do they do that? By not messing with the Android experience.

While HMD Global does not yet have the market share of the bigger players and thus have fewer devices to arrange these updates for it is still great to see them be so proactive with their updates. If only more manufacturers followed suit with less skinning of Android and more timely updates. Hopefully Project Treble helps the poor Android update situation in the future.

If you have been considering purchasing a Nokia phone (aside from the 3310) this may well be something that seals the deal. Timely security and full version updates along with decent hardware makes for compelling devices. Have you purchased one of the new Android Nokias? What are your thoughts on it?

Scott Plowman Editor

Scott is our modding guru - he has his finger on the pulse of all things ‘moddable’, pointing us towards all the cutting edge mods hacks that are available. When he’s not gymming it up, or scanning the heck out of Nexus devices, you'll find him on the Ausdroid Podcast.

Outside of Ausdroid, Scott's a health care professional and lecturer at a well known Victorian university.